Former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown walks to the federal courthouse in Jacksonville, Florida, during her trial on federal fraud and tax charges in May. She’ll learn her fate when a judge announces her sentence next month. (Bob Self/The Florida Times-Union via AP file photo)

“Ironically, when judges impose sentence, our job is not to be judgmental. Our job is to be an instrument of the law and reflect the mores and values … that we agree to,” he said. “And that is a very complicated stew.”